Merry Christmas

. . . kinda.

This has been a very strange Christmas time for my wife and I. We spent last Sunday down with the nieces. We had a great time watching them do their "Mayhem in Bethlehem! A 30 minute Special Report". Then, had a nice lunch before we had to make haste to get home in a freezing rain storm.

Christmas eve we spent up in Seattle watching the Seahawks womp on the Colts on a warm and dry Pacific Northwest day. But for the rain coming up to Seattle, the weather was perfect. We listened to "A Christmas Carol" on CD on the way up as well as a little music to boot, but it just didn't seem like Christmas.

Christmas day, we were at church. Teresa was doing PowerPoint and we had a special guest leading most of the service from behind the piano. It was very nice. Then Teresa's dad, mother-in-law and her son went out to Sharis for lunch. The gamblers really put us all in the holiday mood! Later in the day, we went over to Todd's and stuffed ourselves, made small-talk and exchanged presents. It was very nice.

Needless to say, this has been an odd season for us. We got down all the Christmas decorations, but we only put one up--the lit star on the front door. It was good to take a break from the usual Christmas rush, but I think next year, we'll definitely be in more in the spirit. We're already making plans!

The Great "Happy Holidays" Controversy

It's taken me a little while to digest the current "Happy Holidays" controversy, but I think I finally have my thoughts in order. Apparently, some people really take this sort of thing seriously. "It is insulting that Wal-Mart has chosen to ignore the reason for the season," Dick Otterstad of the Church of the Divide (pictured in the Santa costume) said. "Taking the word 'Christmas' out of the holiday implies there's something sinful about it. . . . This is a part of our culture."

As you probably already know, I'm a Christian, and I certainly can sympathize with Mr. Otterstad's concerns. There's a lot about the "holiday" season that is less than holy and anything that diminishes the meaningfulness of Christ’s birth should be held to a minimum. That said, I think that Wal-Mart and other stores are responding in a reasonable manner. By way of explanation, I celebrate a number of meaningful holidays in early winter, not least of all is Christmas, but I also celebrate to one degree or another Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, and Epiphany. Granted, I would probably be in Wal-Mart because of Christmas, but no one working there is going to know that. Heck, should they be expected to wish me a happy birthday just in case I was born in December?

In the end, store workers are simply saying, "hi, I'm glad you're spending your money here!" Do you really expect a private corporation to make a truly religious statement?

We should forget the so-called war on Christmas and declare war on Santa. What we should really be focusing on is not a simple gesture, but on the “new” mythology of Christmas. What do elves, flying reindeer, talking snowmen and especially omni-present bribe-masters have to do with the winter holidays, much less reality itself? More importantly, what are the messages this mythology sends? We better be good or we'll get a lump of coal?

Dear Santa, gimme stuff.

Spong's Third Thesis

3. The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense.

In Spong's mind, the idea of a "good" (it was not "perfect" as Spong claims) creation and a literal Fall are not even ideas worthy of discussion because they are either unintelligible (he literal can't understand the meanings of these ideas) or are simply valueless (as in the content of the word "incarnation", "creation" and "fall" are valueless). In a word, they are nonsense for Spong. The crux of Spong's comments here center around his attachment to a Darwinian worldview. While I'll have to put off fully evaluating Spong's take on this worldview, I will make a few short observations.

Spong holds Darwin in high regard, speaking at length about the scientist's accomplishments and impact on our modern world (Why Christianity Must Change or Die, pp. 35-8). Essentially, Spong believes that Darwin conclusively demonstrated that life is evolving and that it was never in a final, finished form. Darwin proved that human beings are simply animals, with the same sorts of inadequacies, foibles, drives and brutish morality. In fact, the great divide between the soulless animals and the specially created, eternally loved human being had been completely smashed. The only difference between humans and "non-human animals" was a greater power of rationalism (which Spong later calls into question).

I will agree with Spong on one point though: Darwin is a serious challenge for traditional Christianity, especially if you already think theology itself is suspect. On the other hand, what Darwin had to say about the development of new species--while it may shape our view of the nature of God and His plan--tells us nothing about the nature and condition of spiritual qualities of mankind. I could, simultaneously hold true Darwin's belief that human beings evolved from a common animal ancestor, and hold that human beings are endowed with divine interest and connection. In other words, I could easily interpret the first couple of chapters of Genesis in a Darwinian light and still hold that God created us. While I find that idea in conflict with my understanding of God and evolution, I can certainly see where such an idea could spark dialogue between the likes of Spong and "Fundamentalists" like me.

Unfortunately, Spong packs his thesis with some extra baggage here. Spong attacks the Fall as improbably in light Darwinian explanations. If human beings are simply animals, he would argue, then we are neither good nor bad at the start; there is no original sin into which we are born. Therefore, we are not guilty of anything worth Godly intervention, especially in the way traditional Christianity sees Christ. In essence, Spong stakes out territory neither Darwin, nor science in general can.

On Disappointment & Depression

The past few weeks have been extremely sucky. As you've noticed, I've not really been posting much (despite the fact, that I know, at the very least, it helps me continue to use my brain for constructive purposes). I'm making a valiant attempt to enjoy the holiday season in the face of dwindling clients, family deaths, people who waste my time and a general feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness and general mental and spiritual fatigue. It would be easy to abandon myself to an extended pity party, if I let myself.

I have even questioned my relationship with God over the past few weeks: whether God answers prays or if He listens at all. Why would He put me through this yet again? Is it punishment for sin? An essential flaw in who I am?

These are good questions, I believe, ones worthy of concerted mental effort, because the answers I come up with will either make or break me. I've sought help to work things through emotionally and biochemically, but I never wanted this blog to be yet another angst-ridden diary. Rather, I want this to be a place where I can come to grips with reality in a (more or less) public way.

I heard it said on TV not too long ago that Christians should not confess depression and disappointment in public. Such an admission, it was said, demonstrates the unsaved condition of the soul and was a poor reflection on the teaching and ministry of a particular church and pastor. The impression the speaker gave was that Christians were to be constantly happy, healthy and productive and that our circumstances never should have an effect on our lives. My first reaction, not being in a completely sound state of mind, was to agree. Why not feed the fires of self-pity? It seemed logical enough. But in a more reflective and less self-loathing mood, I reject such thinking.

That is not to say that whining and belly-aching are signs of a good Christian. Quite the contrary. Disappointment and, subsequent or related, depression may be a sign that we were too focused on our own hopes and plans. This is especially true if one does not adapt to the unfolding situation and attempt to move forward. If I do not take the time to really come to grips with these disappointments in a calm, rational and God-centered way, then I really am demonstrating some form of spiritual deficiency.

Here's where we have the tight rope: on the one hand, there really are things in the world that are, well, not right. Our hopes and dreams are generally in line with what God would want, yet they do not come to pass. Other people do misuse us and the people we love do die. I do not believe it is unbiblical or ethically unsound to acknowledge and, perhaps even, embrace those wrongs. This can be useful in many ways--strengthening our empathy for other people, kindling our righteous anger for justice, giving us an opportunity to see things from God's perspective, not ours--only if we are honest about our feelings and allow God to be part of the equation.

In the end, that is what I have tried to do: see things from God’s perspective and consider alternative scenarios and motivations. God still loves me and has a plan that is just right for me, despite the fact that I am not privy to the entirety of that plan. I, myself, don’t always know exactly what’s best for me. Almost always, disappointment and depression are for my ultimate good.